Time in foster care gives kittens the time they need to gain a little weight and get big enough to be spayed or neutered. AHS takes care of all the medical needs. You provide the home, play time and some TLC.

In most cases, pets are with their fosters families for just a couple of weeks before they go up for adoption.

"Be a foster parent to these wonderful kitties and let us get our doors back open to bringing in more cats and kittens," Nelson said. AHS is hosting a foster orientation Sunday, noon- 3p.m., at its Sunnyslope facility, 9226 N. 13th Ave., Phoenix. There is another orientation planned for July 22. You can sign up online at AZHumane.org.

While AHS has hundreds of kittens ready to homes, they also have adult cats.

On any given day, AHS takes in an average for 121 animals. It's a major undertaking to give those animals the care they need and find them forever homes.

There’s much more to caring for homeless animals than many might think. It not simply feeding them and making sure they have enough water.

“It’s not as easy as getting them to the adoption floor,” Nelson said during last year's campaign.

Many animals need to spend some time in foster care before they can put up for adoption. Some require medical care that can range from standard vaccination to treatment for a basic cold to major surgery.

All of the animals that spend time in the care of AHS are spayed or neutered before they go home with their new families. They're also up-to-date on their vaccinations.

AHS serves 46,000 animals each year, and they rely solely on private donations to do it.